This huge (930 square miles!) national park is made up of an immense desert dotted with thousands of turquoise freshwater natural pools. In love yet?

In 2022, I flew to Fortaleza and made it all the way there. You guessed it… it was a full-blown adventure! And here's how I suggest you do it, too…

Split the trip into two parts by spending a few days in Jericoacoara — a buzzing fishing village surrounded by the desert — before heading to the national park.

Here come the logistics: from Fortaleza, hop on a 6-hour bus to the town of Jijoca de Jericoacoara. Big buses don't usually brave the dunes between Jijoca and Jericoacoara, so you'll have to arrange your own transport to get to the village. I recommend contacting your Airbnb/pousada (the typical family-run small hotels) in Jeri beforehand — they'll be able to arrange transport for you.

Your accommodation in Jericoacoara will also be your main contact to organise private transport to Barreirinhas — the desert entry point to Lençois Maranhenses. It's not worth booking private transport online: the fares advertised are usually higher than what they should be (no more than €60-€80 per person).

When you'll finally make it to Barreirinhas, you'll be able to organise a tour to the turquoise lagoons with one of the endless agencies in town. I went with Caetés Expedições and managed to bag a 3-days quad tour for less than £200. Just be ready to sleep on colourful hammocks under a star-filled sky :-)

Now, you may be telling yourself: there's no way I'm doing the same trip all the way back to Fortaleza. No panic — you can just hop on a flight from the city of São Luis, which you'll be able to reach by a 4-hour bus from Barreirinhas.

If this all sounded a little bit complicated, this kitesurfing paradise is less than an hour away from Fortaleza…